Blog : Travel

I have decided to explore some of the suggested adventures, which are featured in my second film. My main aim is to create an introduction with movement before the interviews commence. I started with a journey to Spitchwick River on Dartmoor, which was recommended to my boyfriend and I by some dear friends and was also mentioned in the Wild Guide South West book by Daniel Start, who is also featured in the second film.

“Ed, my boyfriend, drives us through the autumnal woodland till we get to a very busy car park. Kayaks and people fill every available space and there is lots of energy and adventure around us. I, however, sit in the car looking at all these people outside thinking ahhh! How do I get up the nerve to go to the river, take off my warm clothes and get into the river? I also have the added pressure I have created for myself, to film this event for the second Space Outside film. After some encouragement from Ed, I step outside and film him flicking through the pages of the Wild Guidebook. I then have a freakout and sit back in the car. This is out of my comfort zone and this is going to take a big step to push myself out into going on an adventure. We have a chat, mostly about how I feel a fraud and how high my anxiety levels are. But in this talk, Ed brings me around and I find calm, the car door opens and I step out. I have no idea how to film myself, I am used to filming other people. So I organise my kit the best I can and we set off. The walk does me good and I focus on the beautiful surroundings. Then we reach the section of the river that is well known for swimming in the warmth of the summer months. However it is mid-November and no one is around and only Kayakers can be found on the river, which is perhaps a good thing! I settle on wanting to film a section of the river that is hit with red, yellow and orange reflections of autumnal beech Trees, it is so beautiful that I do not take in to account the height of the water in this section. I look around, still no one. I have brought my wetsuit but the light is going to be behind trees soon so I discard the suit and after some explaining to Ed how to focus the camera manually, I whip my clothes off, realising how white and hairy I am, eek! Great now my body will be on camera and I forgot to shave. But I had the reassurance that it was my footage and if I didn’t like it I didn’t need to show it. Suddenly two people turn up, oh great! Now I have an audience, however, they yell out encouragement and I shout back with my thanks.

Remembering some advice from Myrtle Simpson, who’s advice features in the second The Space Outside film, I walk into the river very slowly and go up to my knees. I then start to walk in the middle of the river to get deeper but the levels stay at my knees, so I slowly with lots of panting and deep breathing sit down. I then declare that this is enough and stand up, take one step and slip, plunging myself up to the neck, I yelp and Ed shouts out, after laughing at my clumsiness “well you’re in now, so you may as well swim!” I turn around and start to breaststroke the width of the river, the current is quite strong and I am very aware of this so make sure I swim against the current. I think I lasted maybe 2 minutes before striding out of the water to my towel. But I did it and my body feels tingly and revitalised. I slowly and very shakily put my clothes back on and Ed commands me to run to a distant tree and back due to my dramatic shaking. I run and run and feel even more exhilarated. *

We walk back and I sit back in the car, where I had sat only an hour before, crying from the fear of stepping outside my comfort zone. But I did it and now I know that it is not that bad, in fact, it was great and in that step into the water and that accidental slip I stretched my comfort zone. “

*I have recently been told, by Freyja Hedinsson, who features in the second The Space Outside film, that during and after being in the cold water some people can experience a drop in core body temperature; due to the blood rushing to the bodies extremities. So make sure after your wild swim, you have a warm beverage and if this is not to hand wrap up warm and have a run.

Since April I have been interviewing people for the second installment of The Space Outside. I have traveled across the country and met remarkable people; I set out to understand how to go on adventures but soon started to look at what we perceive an adventure to be. Every person I talked to, in my eyes, was being adventurous but in fact, some of them disagreed with me, stating that, what they are doing is choosing a lifestyle that gets them outside. This led me to see adventure as a frame of mind; maybe we say it to make something more exciting and therefore the word adventure actually has a huge amount of sway over how we perceive what we are doing. Something that seems normal to you may seem adventurous to others. Getting outside of the comfort zone is for me at the heart of whether something feels adventurous and because everyone’s comfort zone is different that means everyone’s adventures should be different too. Deciding that the only way of going on an adventure is by climbing massive mountains or sailing around the world is somewhat of a limiting belief. Throughout the year the film has evolved to include the many stages of Womanhood and the title has changed from The Space Outside // Practicalities to The Space Outside // Knowledge and Wisdom. This second film shows adventure in all shapes and sizes and aims to connect more people with a notion that they have the power to decide how they want to take a step outside their comfort zone and that they do not need to measure the step against someone else’s.

The Space Outside // Knowledge and Wisdom will be launched on my website on the 1st January 2018

We drove over 1300 miles, our car with teeth that bit into the ice sheeted roads.

Iceland is every bit as magical as you can imagine. You look up to the sky of dancing lights, you look out to the mountainous horizon and you look down to the snow and lava fields that crunch beneath your feet.

The city of Reykjavik has a strong arts culture/community and we happened across the Winter Lights Festival, where all the art museums and swimming pools were open for the weekend and creative happenings were located throughout the city. We managed to be at the opening of the festival, where Icelandic Artist Ingvar Björn, projected volcanic eruptions on to the Hallgrímskirkja church whilst orchestral music played in the background.

After a long day out exploring the golden circle we were driving back to our accommodation when we saw the green shimmer of light in the sky. It felt so sudden and easy, to stumble across this phenomenon. We chased it to a well known spot and sat in awe for over an hour watching the lights play in the sky.

The little island, Videy, near Reykjavik, gave us stunning views of the nearby landscape. The grass shone golden and the sky sat moodily with heavy rain clouds.

We walked for an hour over snow to the D3-Plane Wreck, which sat alien in its environment. Tourists clambered over, under and in the plane to get the best photo.

A storm hit on our last day and we spent three hours in the Blue Lagoon being blown around the warm pool. The sheltered spots were a welcome rest from the prevailing wind.

Iceland has a rugged beauty with a stark, harsh environment.

Tourism is starting to take hold of Reykjavik. Whilst the locals try to preserve the culture, there is a tension between the rise of tourism-based buildings and the fall of community-led space. We spoke to one of the owners of a co-operative art gallery, who told us that their gallery was soon to be torn down for new tourist accommodation. We wished her luck and walked out into the high street of Reykjavik.

Even though there was an apparent creeping in of American influence, there was still a real beating heart in Iceland’s capital city. The art within the Winter Lights Festival was full of young and old blood and had an amazing energy that we had happened to walk into.

The Icelandic humour was very apparent and dry; little signs would catch you by surprise and make you smile.

I look back on this adventure with a real mix of feelings, a little sad but most of all with a sense of respect for the people of Iceland who brave the cold, harsh climate and dark hours with a persistence and humour that can teach us all about not taking life too seriously.

I am an introvert at heart, and filming allows me to meet people and visit places without me even realising that I am pushing myself into being an extrovert.

I guess it’s a subconscious pattern I have created that allows me to live and expand myself in the world.

My latest self-funded project is definitely allowing me to stretch my skills and personal goals. Last May, I asked myself, ‘How do people go on adventures’? Is it a childhood dream, a stumble across an explorer’s journal, or a push from someone friendly?

What if the thought of adventure has never crossed your mind, no pages of that book read, or you have never met that pushy person – then what?

But maybe you don’t need to go on an adventure – what would be gained? What if a small step outside the ordinary meant a little achievement, an inner tiny celebration that you could cherish and sit with, cupping in your hand to pull out when the ‘hard thought parade’ marched in to say you weren’t good enough?
The knowing that you did something to stretch your mind and body.

What is there, when you wake up in the middle of the night dreaming big about snowy mountains, or when you sit sipping tea looking out the window at the sea’s horizon?

How do you go on adventures? The organisation of it all, the time, the money. The: ‘Oh give up! Don’t be silly. Who do you think you are? You’re no adventurer, explorer, walker, hitcher, camper, sailor. You can’t do this. Pah!’ Go back to dreaming.

Dreaming, dreaming, head filling with ideas – but where to start?

Trawling on the Internet for inspiration, connection, the mountain, seems massive. The kit, the: ‘Oh my gosh I am so unfit, how am I ever going to do this?’

‘How am I ever going to film this!’

I start with a bump, grabbing at an opportunity to travel and film. Maybe I will film an explorer? Yes that’s what I should do, and then she can do the adventure for me. I can tag along.

After tagging along and taking a big step outside my comfort zone, I realised that following was not enough.

So let’s do things differently. I know myself, I know how scared I get, how much I worry, fret, lose sleep. I will tread softly this time. Take small steps, I want to talk and listen.

So I ask friends and they lead me to friends of friends who have done adventure, been adventure, seen adventure. I email them, and enthusiastic emails bounce back. This is suddenly easy but still terrifying. Do I know how to interview…. Uh… I know how to talk, and especially if I like what we are talking about. Let’s try that.

Now talking and listening and answering and recording – and checking the camera is still on – was a quick learning curve. One that I was told I would pick up.

I realise I am tricking myself into adventure. If you ask me, this was the plan all along. But a big part of me is still happy with the naïvety of it all and really I am just filming stuff so all is completely safe and for the greater good of my filming career.

I know it won’t all be easy, it won’t all be safe, it won’t all be naïve – but it will all be an adventure.

The first film in the series, ‘The Space Outside’, has been released.

Over the next 6 months my journey will be to trawl the internet, talk to and visit people to get to grips on how to go on adventures, big and small. Like any journey I have no idea where I will end up and who I will meet but all that really matters is that I stay authentic and keep curious.

I have already made friends from the first film and I hope some of them will join me in this next film.

The amazing founders of the Women Adventure Expo, Rebecca and Tania Hughes, have come on board to be assistant producers in the future films. I am very humbled and excited at this prospect.

This film was never mine, the journey is mine, but the film is yours to have and watch when you feel frustrated about being scared to take a step outside your comfort zone.